Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2021 May 17

= May 17 =

aged vodka
When my son was born in 2005, I made a batch of blueberry vodka (soaked blueberries in vodka for 6 weeks then strained the berries out). I have kept the sealed bottle of vodka since then in preparation for his 19th birthday (drinking age in Canada). My question is: will the vodka still be consumable? I never thought of this until the other day. 216.223.104.13 (talk) 15:59, 17 May 2021 (UTC)


 * Science on How Spirits Change or Age in the Bottle suggests that as long as the bottle is filled to the top, airtight and kept in the dark, any change will be minimal. Alansplodge (talk) 16:17, 17 May 2021 (UTC)


 * I have read and heard many of the same things. Strictly speaking, the term "aging" refers to the storage of spirits, wine, or beer in wooden casks for the purpose of extracting flavors from the wood into the beverage.  When stored in an airtight, impermeable, and sterile environment, spirits will tend to keep indefinitely, while wine and beer (which may still have active cultures) may continue to age in the bottle, in the context of beer this is called bottle conditioning.  The distillation process that makes spirits, however, essentially sterilizes and destroys any active cultures, as such there is no such thing as "bottle aging" of spirits.  Simply put, once something like vodka, brandy, or whisky is in the bottle, it doesn't continue to age; though contact with air (especially oxygen) can oxidize the spirit and alter its flavor components; a sealed sterilized bottle should remain mostly unchanged.  I'd be a little more leary over homemade than factory produced, as I don't know how good a home distiller's sterilization processes are, though, and that would be my only caveat.  -- Jayron 32 16:27, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
 * I see no indication the berries were sterile, or that the concoction was sterilized before the bottle was sealed. However, bacteria and fungi will normally not survive immersion in vodka or any 75-proof drink for an extended period, and yeast even less. Fungal spores may remain viable but will be dormant and thus not multiply. --Lambiam 19:52, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Depending on the flavourant, it's possible for flavours to change spontaneously over time, e.g. by molecular rearrangement into more stable forms, particularly over a period as long as 16 years. I've no idea if that'd be the case here though. Rhythdybiau (talk) 20:02, 18 May 2021 (UTC)

Thanks. I replaced the cap tightly then wound electrical tape around it it seal it. . . so, looks like the lad and I will enjoy a wee shot. . . in another three years! 216.223.104.13 (talk) 17:18, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure how long electrical tape will last, and keep a good seal. You might be better to melt candle wax over the cap. This is more likely to create a long-lasting seal. Assuming, of course, that the cap isn't plastic. LongHairedFop (talk) 09:26, 19 May 2021 (UTC)